Meet the candidates for Norwich school board

NORWICH – Norwich City School District voters will fill three available seats on the board of education Tuesday when they make their way to the polls for the 2012-2013 budget vote. Five people are vying for the three spots on the board, including current board members Joseph Stagliano, Perry Owen and Luke Murphy.

Newcomers Sadhna Gupta Corey and Dr. Bruce Braswell have also declared for a seat on the board.

• Joseph R. Stagliano, of Norwich, is the executive vice president and CIO at NBT Bank – where he’s been employed since 1999 – and has served four years on the district’s board of education. He said he’s running once again due to a “strong desire” to continue serving the community. As an NBT executive, he added he’s responsible for a budget that is equal in size to the school district’s and has the budget and people skills to “make a difference” and “add value” to the team.

“I want to ensure all students have the opportunities to succeed in school and all teachers and staff have the resources available to them to do their jobs effectively,” said Stagliano. “We need to continue with a long term financial and educational plan, and I believe we have built this and must continue to be disciplined in this approach.”

• Perry Owen, of Norwich, is a retired professional relations manager for Procter & Gamble and has served five years on the district’s board of education. Much travelled, Owen said he’s conducted business in 35 countries worldwide in addition to 42 states across the country. Norwich, he added, is “the place to be,” and he considers education to be at the core of our country’s wealth.